4 ms·

these sorts of comments always make me laugh considering where they are posted. in before: "HN isn't social media!"

joshdavham 9mo ago
HN is social media and I think most people recognize that. It's just that HN is a social media that respects your time and doesn't try to get you addicted. For example, HN has a very useful 'noprocrast' feature and one of the co-founders, pg, has openly worried about HN's addictiveness in the past [0]. So while HN is social media, I feel like it's qualitatively different than other platforms. [0] https://paulgraham.com/hackernews.html https://paulgraham.com/hackernews.html
- petcat 9mo ago
  But that only demonstrates that it is addictive and everyone knows it. It's the exact kind of website that this New York state law is targeting. It just seems like hn is very open about acknowledging that. They'll still very much be subject to the state law
  - joshdavham 9mo ago
    That's a good point. Would you personally be in favor of HN being regulated though? I'm not sure if I would.
    - petcat 9mo ago
      Indie soda makers still have to print their ingredients on the can. So yes, I think HN should still have to acknowledge that the website is addictive in accordance with this state law.
blell 9mo ago
That’s because HN isn’t social media. It’s a forum.
- petcat 9mo ago
  Since when did forums finely tuned their addictive homepage feed based on votes, comments, and overall "engagement". This is a social media news feed-style website. Like Reddit, or old Digg.
  - krapp 9mo ago
    Since always? Every forum I can remember shows the most popular threads first. Even 4chan does that with thread bumping, the most engaged-with threads sort to the top. Given the hyperbole of the times, that counts as "finely tuning their addictive homepage feed." Hacker News, like Reddit, is both a forum and a link aggregator. It has features which are designed to influence you and to be addictive. And I promise you that people are as addicted to HN as others are to Facebook, Twitter, TikTok etc.
    - petcat 9mo ago
      Yes I agree that it is addictive, and will be subject to this NY state law. When I think of "forum" I think of pre-Web 2.0/social media like PHP BB. I don't think they would be categorized the same way.
      - krapp 9mo ago
        That's what I meant too. PHPBB forums and the like had plenty of features that would be considered "addictive" in the modern climate, as well as "algorithmic" feeds. They certainly could be categorized the same way. I don't think they will only because the political will isn't there and such forums aren't popular enough to matter. But if regulation of social media causes those forums to resurge in popularity then that might change.

HN is social media and I think most people recognize that. It's just that HN is a social media that respects your time and doesn't try to get you addicted. For example, HN has a very useful 'noprocrast' feature and one of the co-founders, pg, has openly worried about HN's addictiveness in the past [0]. So while HN is social media, I feel like it's qualitatively different than other platforms. [0] https://paulgraham.com/hackernews.html https://paulgraham.com/hackernews.html

petcat 9mo ago
But that only demonstrates that it is addictive and everyone knows it. It's the exact kind of website that this New York state law is targeting. It just seems like hn is very open about acknowledging that. They'll still very much be subject to the state law
- joshdavham 9mo ago
  That's a good point. Would you personally be in favor of HN being regulated though? I'm not sure if I would.
  - petcat 9mo ago
    Indie soda makers still have to print their ingredients on the can. So yes, I think HN should still have to acknowledge that the website is addictive in accordance with this state law.

blell 9mo ago

That’s because HN isn’t social media. It’s a forum.

petcat 9mo ago
Since when did forums finely tuned their addictive homepage feed based on votes, comments, and overall "engagement". This is a social media news feed-style website. Like Reddit, or old Digg.
- krapp 9mo ago
  Since always? Every forum I can remember shows the most popular threads first. Even 4chan does that with thread bumping, the most engaged-with threads sort to the top. Given the hyperbole of the times, that counts as "finely tuning their addictive homepage feed." Hacker News, like Reddit, is both a forum and a link aggregator. It has features which are designed to influence you and to be addictive. And I promise you that people are as addicted to HN as others are to Facebook, Twitter, TikTok etc.
  - petcat 9mo ago
    Yes I agree that it is addictive, and will be subject to this NY state law. When I think of "forum" I think of pre-Web 2.0/social media like PHP BB. I don't think they would be categorized the same way.
    - krapp 9mo ago
      That's what I meant too. PHPBB forums and the like had plenty of features that would be considered "addictive" in the modern climate, as well as "algorithmic" feeds. They certainly could be categorized the same way. I don't think they will only because the political will isn't there and such forums aren't popular enough to matter. But if regulation of social media causes those forums to resurge in popularity then that might change.